Stepping back from the curb right before someone runs a light. Catching a mistake at work right at the last minute. These sorts of “dodged a bullet” situations happen all the time—but rarely do they end up affecting others. Redditors came together to share their unforgettable stories of the times when their narrow miss ended up screwing over someone else entirely.
1. The Switch-Up
During my first year in college, my best friend and I had planned to become roommates. However, there was a mix-up in housing and we ended up being allotted rooms with different people. We managed to convince one of the guys to swap rooms with me—but we were unaware of the hidden caveat.
Uncannily, my initial roommate was a 300-pound tuba enthusiast who wasn't fond of showers. The poor fellow who swapped places with me suffered through it and, even though I empathized with him, I was helpless to change the situation.
2. The Leftovers
A few years back, my friends and I visited a Chinese eatery on Haight Street. Unsurprisingly, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. So, we walked out of the restaurant with a large take-away bag filled with leftovers.
While making our way home, we stumbled upon a wheelchair-bound woman asking for loose change near a freeway entrance. Instantly, we decided she could make better use of our leftovers. So, we handed over the whole bag to her. She expressed genuine gratitude and thanked us generously.
However, that night, all of us became incredibly sick from the food. Even though that was quite unpleasant, my mind kept flashing the thought of that poor elderly woman in a wheelchair trying to locate a restroom quickly.
3. A Downhill Battle
Roughly a decade ago, my family gave me the okay to bring a couple of pals along on a skiing trip to Tennessee. One day, we decided to try out this spot that let you rent inner tubes to slide down a snowy mountain slope.
The moment came to receive our tubes, and wouldn't you know it, I got a faulty one. It was barely holding air, you could actually feel it escaping when you placed your hand over the tear. Swiftly trading it in for a better tube, it ended up in the hands of the unfortunate girl behind me.
After making my way down the slope, I turned back to glance up the hill. The scene that unfolded next still gives me the chills. The poor girl stuck with the leaky tube had halted midway down the slope. Suddenly, I witnessed a man who must've weighed around 200 pounds barrel right into her, launching her nearly 15 feet into the air. She ended up somersaulting down the rest of the hill without her tube, sobbing uncontrollably.
4. A Different Kind Of Draft Dodging
During WWII, my grandpa was initially pegged for a station in San Francisco. His pal, however, was assigned to France but his sweetheart and family lived in San Francisco. Urgently, he asked my grandpa if they could switch spots.
At that time, my grandpa didn't have any pressing commitments, and he didn't really mind where he ended up. So, he said yes—and everything changed for him. As a result, he spent his time in France, where most of the fighting had ended. Essentially, his term turned into a long, leisurely stay near Paris.
Later on, he learned that San Francisco was just a launch pad, a place where soldiers were prepped before being sent off to the battlefield and intense fighting. Yeah, that was quite the revelation.
5. Stick Em Up
I used to work at a fuel station where I requested a colleague to step in for me for a couple of days while I took a brief holiday. Though he agreed, he had no clue of what was going to happen.
On day two, he was held up at knifepoint during a robbery. He endured a facial slash and another on his arm. These weren't severe, but they required medical attention for stitches. This scary encounter led him to resign shortly after because he got too frightened to resume work.
I must admit, the incident left me feeling deeply remorseful.
6. Never Forget
This story isn't about me, but rather, an old family friend who was a New York City firefighter. At one point, the Firefighters Union was looking for volunteers to campaign for their chosen Democratic candidate, Alan Hevesi, during an NYC mayoral primary. For context, Hevesi eventually ended up in jail due to corruption.
Opting to spend a sunny September Tuesday distributing leaflets and holding signs on a street corner instead of at his firehouse in Manhattan's Chinatown, my family friend swapped shifts with a co-worker. The date was September 11, 2001. Tragically, the colleague he swapped shifts with never returned home.
While driving from his Westchester home to start his campaign shift around 10 am, my family friend heard the news of the attacks. He immediately headed to the HazMat station in Queens to retrieve his equipment. By the time he got to Ground Zero, both towers had already come down.
7. Falling On The Sword
After a trip to Japan with some buddies, I picked up a wooden sword from a small souvenir store located in Yasukuni Shrine. At the time, I assumed it would easily slot into my suitcase for the journey home. As it happened, it wouldn't. A mate offered to stash it in his luggage instead. Accepting his offer was a mistake.
Fast forward to our return and we're going through customs at San Francisco International Airport. Of all 15 of us, my friend, the one carrying the wooden sword, gets singled out for a "random" security check. That piece of wood set us back an additional hour.
8. The Train Has Left The Station
My friend and I hopped on the subway, but found no empty seats. Because my friend was expecting, standing wasn't the best idea for her. Noticing this, I approached a seated passenger to see if he'd offer his seat to my friend. He graciously agreed.
But only then, I made a spine-chilling realization—the man was armless. So, when the subway began to move, he had no way to steady himself and kept tumbling around.
9. Nickel-And-Dimed
I visited a McDonald's drive-through and didn't quite have enough change—I was five cents short. The kind girl working the window brushed it off, telling me it was no problem. I remembered this and when I returned a week later, I handed her a nickel to repay what I owed.
Her smile was enormous and she thanked me. She attempted to slot the nickel into the automatic change machine they operated there, but then came a moment of chaos.
The machine's front cover suddenly came unhinged, sending coins spouting from the machine. It was filled to the brim with loose change which scattered through the drive-through window out onto the street. She appeared on the verge of tears at the mayhem.
Without wasting a moment, I parked my car, got out and lent a hand, collecting as much of the fallen change as possible.
Sign up to our newsletter.
History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.
10. The Never-Ending Journey
My buddy and I had plans to jet off to Germany with companion airfare tickets but his seat priority was significantly higher than mine. Meaning, if we both checked in, I'd be the one left behind. So, he chose to take a later flight to a nearby city, just so I could get on my flight. Sadly, his flight was delayed for an hour, and then engine troubles kept them from taking off. As a result, they were stuck on the tarmac for the next four hours.
When the airline finally secured a replacement airplane, they realized that their pilots had been working for too long. Consequently, a two-hour wait was triggered as they scrambled for a fresh crew. Even though they procured another plane, they were hit with computer glitches that required an additional two hours to sort out.
He eventually reached Germany but since he landed in another city, he had to take a train to Frankfurt where we were meant to stay. Just our luck, his train suffered from electrical faults, resulting in a further two-hour delay.
11. What Are The Chances
During one festive season, I had delayed buying my plane ticket home until the last minute, resulting in sky-high prices that were beyond my reach. Determined to get home, I resolved to take the Greyhound bus instead.
If you've never ridden Greyhound, it's quite an experience. I stepped onto a densely packed bus, with the remaining seats mostly occupied by some rather gruff-looking young men. I approached the first one asking, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" The guy merely nodded. Not discouraged, I moved onto the next. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" The second guy replied with a laugh, glancing at his friend in front. Now I understood the game. So, I turned to the third guy and said, "Listen, this bus is fully booked, so it's either me or another random person. Choose wisely."
The third guy graciously moved his backpack and I took the empty spot. That’s when things got interesting. As soon as I sat, another man entered the bus. He seemed to have had an unfortunate incident with his hygiene, including an apparent dousing in motor oil and a tooth-brushing session with a can of sardines. He unceremoniously flopped into the seat next to the first guy.
Then came a woman, donning a muumuu, perspiring heavily, and cradling arms full of assorted cheese and meat snacks for the journey. She squeezed herself into her seat, essentially sandwiching the second guy against the window as he attempted to avoid contact with her.
At this juncture, I stood to take off my coat, turning to them with a playful, "Hey guys, aren't you glad about your seat choices!" offering them a gleeful thumbs-up!
12. Say Cheese!
Once upon a time at my photo studio job, I swapped schedules with a fellow photographer. I had a great shift—but his day turned into a nightmare. He got stuck with a pair of very lively 3 and 4 year-old girls who, at 8 in the morning, decided to spend an hour expressively crying. Their mom and grandma were trying their best to get them to play along. What a morning that was!
13. What A Thrill Ride
A few years ago, my husband, a couple of friends, and I visited an amusement park. We found ourselves queueing for a roller coaster when we realized that there were only enough seats left for me and my husband, but not for our friends. To stick together, we decided to let the couple in line behind us go first, planning to ride the next round together.
Well, we ended up waiting ages for the next ride. Then the worker broke the news—there was an issue and the ride was temporarily closed. As we left the line to venture to another attraction, we noticed the roller coaster stuck still at the top of a massive incline.
I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for inadvertently trapping that couple on what would have been our ride, but I must admit, I was happy it wasn't us up there. Those poor folks had to hike down the coaster's track, and being up high is simply not my cup of tea.
14. Better Luck Next Time
I splurged £150 on tickets to the Olympic Opening Ceremony. However, due to these tickets being returnees, mine was isolated from my friends. So, there I was, sitting alone in a not-so-bad seat at an angle towards one end of the stadium. The woman next to me checks in and wonders whether I, being alone, am open to swapping seats with her husband who was placed elsewhere. "Why not," I thought. After I moved to his spot, he had the look of a lottery winner and was double-checking if I was really okay with the switch. From my place, his seat seemed alright so, sure, I traded.
It didn't take me long to understand his euphoria. If you watched the Opening Ceremony, you might recall a gigantic tree at one end of the stadium being a part of the show. Unfortunately, a portion of the seats were terribly positioned right behind this tree, obstructing the view significantly.
I kept glancing at the couple, they seemed so content, and I didn't want to dim their joy by reversing the switch. But, honestly, the tree was blocking every bit of my sight, and I could tell I wasn't the only one irritated about it.
Finally, just when we were five minutes away from the ceremony, I turned to my neighboring seat holder and found out he was also flying solo. I offered to trade seats with him for a better view. As the stadium was packed by this point, it was a bit of a delicate situation. I approached the couple and admitted that the tree was cramping my style, and I would prefer my original seat. However, since I had coaxed my new companion into swapping, they could still sit together, as there were now two available spots.
The disappointment on their faces was apparent as they trudged back to their tree-shielded seats. The wife second-guessed her original decision, and they both peered regretfully back as they settled in. With a better view now, my seat buddy and I immensely enjoyed the Opening Ceremony. He was incredulous at his good fortune, while I couldn't help but feeling guilty for the couple.
15. Lightning Strikes Twice
Before, when I was an IT intern, we needed to divvy up weekend shifts at the data center. On rotation, one person would spend a solitary, idle 12 hours there. One weekend, I swapped my duty with another intern as I had plans. On that particular day, a massive storm hit and the power went out.
There were issues with the backup generator too, and once the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) drained, the entire building was in darkness. I'm still not entirely certain what went wrong on his watch, but let's just say our bosses were less than thrilled. As you might guess, he didn't stick around in the role much longer after that incident.
16. Whoops
During my ninth-grade year, after getting our Algebra tests back, I realized I had mistakenly solved two problems. Eager to know the correct answers, I turned to the girl next to me, asked her solutions, and shockingly, we had identical answers. But while mine were marked wrong, hers were marked right. We decided to dispute this with the teacher, showing both our answer sheets.
Then came a surprising twist—our teacher admitted that she had mistakenly marked the girl's answers as right when they should've been wrong. The girl's grading was readjusted, and unfortunately, it was lowered. I felt incredibly guilty about it because she was merely trying to aid me. But, the actual punch in the gut was...
I had a massive crush on this girl, and following this embarrassing episode, I felt like I'd blown my chances with her.
17. Not My Brother’s Keeper
So, I found myself on this mega-long, 56-hour bus journey. In the dead of night, while everyone was catching some shut-eye, a lady on the bus started yelling, "Stop touching me". Turns out, the guy next to her had tried to make improper contact while she was asleep.
Following this messy episode, the bus driver looked around for a willing soul to swap seats with this dodgy man. No hands went up, so I stepped in to help out. It was only then that I realized that I'd just offered up my poor brother as this guy's new neighbor.
18. Buckle Up
In high school, I started volunteering as an EMT, a role I held for a full decade. I only recently stepped down because I'm going to be attending grad school soon. In the beginning, before I was in any leadership position, I was the "co-pilot". I would sit in the back of the ambulance which was driven by an officer, with another crew member riding shotgun.
When we got emergency calls, particularly the ones nearby, I would usually skip buckling up. Instead, I'd prepare the medical equipment and supplies to ensure we could assist the patient promptly. One memorable weekend, I was on extra duty on the ambulance, more for fun than work, and left a bit earlier than usual. Barely two hours later, catastrophe hit.
A grave accident occurred just two blocks away from our station. Despite having the right of way and even slowing down at the intersection, our ambulance got hit side-on by a man speeding his pregnant wife to the hospital. The collision caused the ambulance to flip over and got pushed down the street by about 30 feet.
Amazingly, nobody got hurt, the woman ended up delivering a healthy baby, and the patient we were rushing to help wasn't a critical case. However, the back of the ambulance was a mess – equipment, including an oxygen bottle, was not secured properly. Had I been on that ambulance, I'm pretty certain I would have sustained serious injuries, maybe not even survived.
From that day onwards, I started insisting that everyone must buckle up before we set off. Over the recent years, fire stations across the country are working towards cultivating a safety-first environment. Still, road accidents continue to be the leading cause of death among first responders in the US.
19. Taking One For The Team
I swapped places with a man on a lengthy seven-hour flight so I could be next to my girlfriend. Unfortunately, he had to deal with the plane's two most disruptive kids. Throughout the journey, I felt guilty, but honestly, I just couldn't bring myself to switch seats again.
Once the flight ended, and we were waiting for our luggage, I approached him. I told him how grateful I was again and apologized for the unfortunate incident, which I hadn't anticipated. He brushed it off and cheerfully said he'd "taken one for the team." What a splendid chap he was.
20. Mystery Meat
Once upon a time there was a student from one of my college classes, a mandatory public speaking course. He was hardly 18, obviously a first-year, and really nervous about an upcoming presentation he was to deliver. Between my former class and this one, I had quite some time to kill, so I would often hang out in the cafeteria.
One day, I spotted him sitting alone, visibly stressed, rehearsing from flashcards. Approaching him, I offered to buy lunch, in hopes of easing his anxiety. Gratefully, he agreed.
The cafeteria was serving meatball subs that day, and we both ordered the same. His arrived first. For some reason, I tripped and my sub made a one-way trip onto his suit. The aftermath was unforgettable—rather than landing on a single spot, it seemed as if his entire outfit had somehow absorbed the mess, with meatballs and sauce rolling down from his suit to his trousers.
He sat dazed, the color draining from his face, silent. Feeling dreadful, I apologized profusely and ran to the campus bookstore, which sold clothes. I bought him a pair of sweatpants and a sports jacket, then hurried back.
I found him still in the same stunned state. I handed over the replacement clothes, apologizing again. He went to change, came back, finished his meal, and became surprisingly focused and poised.
Once we were in the class and he started his speech, disaster struck. He was explaining some concept about Morse code and language requirement when he abruptly stopped mid-sentence and dashed for the bathroom. He never returned. The professor had to fail him for not completing the speech. Later on, I learned that the sub had given him severe gastro problems and made him unwell.
That experience forever soured meatball subs for me, and I haven't had one in the past six years.
21. Mistakes Were Made
I had a buddy who worked at a furniture shop and enjoyed a 50% employee discount. As I was moving and needed a sofa, he kindly offered to use his discount and purchase it for me. He requested my credit card for the transaction, which I gave him, and he went ahead to buy the discounted furniture with it. However, his boss noticed my card was used and ended up firing my friend.
At the time, I found it a bit odd when he asked for my card. It seemed more straightforward to just repay him later. But since he initiated it, I assumed either the company was fine with that, or my name on the credit card wouldn't be so conspicuously displayed. I thought he would understand his workplace policies best...well, I was wrong.
22. It’s All Yours
There was a boy I knew who rushed to claim the front seat of the car, even though a friend of mine had already called dibs on it. Being the gentleman he was, my friend graciously gave it up and settled for the back. We had no idea how this simple trade-off would spiral into a tragedy.
The car skidded around a bend and my friend got pinned between a tree and the vehicle. He didn't survive the accident. It's incredibly heartbreaking. At the memorial service, the boy who had eagerly claimed the front seat looked utterly devastated, like he'd seen a ghost.
23. The Unintentional Grinch
When I was a kid, my neighbors paid me to feed their dogs and collect their mail while on vacation. Every day I dutifully collected the mail and placed it in a brown paper bag in our laundry room. Two days before they were set to return, Dad was taking out the trash. He has bad eyes (retrolental fibroplasia), saw the bag, thought it was trash, and took it out with the rest of the garbage.
The worst part was that it was around the holidays, so there were several (quite valuable) Christmas gifts in the bag. Of course, he apologized profusely and paid them for the estimated value of the gifts, and the neighbors were incredibly understanding, but I still felt sick about it for a solid month. To this day, just thinking about it makes me cringe.
24. Cover Me
I can't recall any occasion where I've caused something bad to happen to someone. But, there was an instance where I was put in a hot spot. My previous job was delivering pizzas at a local eatery, and my co-worker happened to also be a band member. Their gigs were typically on Fridays—a detail which he consistently forgot until the last minute, only to scramble for a cover at the eleventh hour.
So, one such day, he rang me and I agreed to fill in. I turned up at work with just an hour’s notice and agreed with my boss to work only during the peak hours (approximately 5 pm to 8 pm). Everything went smooth; I left at around 8:30 pm.
Here's when things took a turn for the worse. After I made an exit, the restaurant owner storms in, sees me gone, freaks out and fires me over the phone. Mind you, six years of my life was invested in this job, and ironically, I was let go for doing a favour; coming in unplanned and assisting the business during a rush. And guess what? The co-worker who bailed retains his job to this day. And that, believe it or not, happened some three years back.
25. Bus-ted
A fellow commuter and I were hanging around, both of us awaiting the same bus to take us home. In a friendly tone, he inquired about the bus's arrival time. I informed him, while noticing that the bus was running slightly behind schedule. Soon after, our eagerly awaited bus was spotted racing down the freeway while another bus made its way into the transit center.
As our bus moved closer, I pointed it out, saying, "Look, there's our bus." Once the bus arrived, I hopped on and found a seat. To my surprise, I realized that the man wasn't on the same bus with me. Turns out, he had hopped onto the other bus that had earlier made its way into the transit center.
26. Pizza Peril
Back when I was a university student at UF in 1995, I used to moonlight at 5 Star Pizza located downtown in Gainesville. I remember one bright, summery afternoon, I reported for work around 5 pm.
In those days, based on a "first come, first serve" system, whoever clocked in first got the next delivery job. That day, there was just one order waiting for delivery. The destination was quite close, just a block north and right off the major street, sitting just across from the university
I was under the impression I was the first one there as I didn't notice anyone else signed in before me. So I packed up and was ready to make my move when this other guy, one of those skinny, long-haired, hippie types who probably weighed around 140 pounds, emerged from the back. Turns out he arrived before me, but hadn't marked himself in. So, being the good guy, I figured it wasn't a big deal and let him have this one. There'd be more orders coming in, I thought.
However, he didn't return. A few hours went by and we got a distressing call from the law enforcement. Turns out, my colleague had a rather horrific evening. He was ambushed by about six young men, somewhere in their late teens or early twenties. They brutally assaulted him, breaking his cheekbones, nose, jaw, and several teeth, resulting in him needing facial surgery.
Two months later when I saw him, he revealed that they took his money almost as an afterthought. They clearly just wanted to harm someone that night.
27. The Price You Pay For Altruism
I had to get my car to the garage, and it was acting up so bad that I was afraid it might not make it there by itself. I asked a friend to tail me as I drove, just in case something went wrong.
However, my friend ran into trouble while keeping up with me; he ended up not stopping while I was moving onto the motorway and got pulled over by a highway cop. The ticket he received set him back by $175. I felt bad about it, so I chipped in and took care of half the fine.
28. Winner Winner Burger Dinner
Back in the 80s, in Oxford, my dad saw a homeless man asking for food and decided to take him to the nearby Wimpy's for a meal. The man was extremely thankful and over his burger and shake, he told his life story. It had been a hard road for him – his wife had left, taking the children and the family dog with her. He had succumbed to alcohol addiction, lost his job, his home, and was left penniless.
There was my dad though, a stranger, buying him a meal and lending an ear to his story. The homeless man's gratitude was immense. My dad had to leave early, with an apology, since he had to catch a train to Durham. He left the man, still eating his meal, feeling proud of his good deed. As he left Stevenage, however, a haunting thought hit him.
He had forgotten to settle the tab at Wimpy's, unintentionally leaving the homeless man, with no money, to pick up the bill. To this day, my dad says it's the most guilty he's ever felt.
29. The Picky Eater
I nursed my oldest son when he was a baby. One time, when he was five months old, my husband and I had planned to attend a fancy ball. My sister kindly offered to watch him for us. When I asked about her plans for feeding him, she suggested that I provide some formula and bottles, and all would be well.
Following her advice, off we went to enjoy our night. It turned out to be a fantastic evening, with my husband even winning a prize for best dressed.
Now keep in mind, this was at a time when cell phones weren't yet common in Australia. So imagine my surprise when, after being away for six hours, I came home to find that my baby boy had refused the bottle. Turns out, he'd been crying almost non-stop for five hours straight.
I immediately felt terrible and apologized profusely to my sister. Bless her heart though, she stayed calm and was so understanding. Never again did I ask her to babysit—I guess you could say she'd completed her babysitting duty.
30. The Worst Game Of “Would You Rather” Ever
One day, I decided to catch the bus home from the city. It was a 40-minute ride, and the sun was shining brightly. At exactly 5:37pm, my bus arrived. Unknown to me, however, I had made a mistake.
I had actually boarded the number 260 bus, not the number 250 that I had meant to. The route is virtually identical, until it exits the freeway. As a 15-year-old, all freeway exits look the same to me. As the bus exited the freeway, I realised we were in the wrong place. I asked the guy next to me and he confirmed we were on the 260.
Knowing I was on the wrong bus, I quickly asked the driver for the nearest transit center. With a negative response, he suggested I take another bus, so I did.
Across the street, I noticed a Pump It Up, a children's recreation center that I recognized from previous trips. I was now an hour away from home and starting to panic. I decided to call my friend who lived in the area, hoping he could recommend a bus to get home.
Luckily, he answered immediately. He invited me to join a party at the marina, which wasn't too far away. I was feeling uneasy, so I asked him to pick me up. He agreed, albeit unwillingly.
I passed the time at the Pump It Up, where the friendly staff allowed me to hang out in the lobby. One of them told me that a local bus would take me straight to the marina. Just as I was about to call my friend to cancel the ride, I realised my phone was about to die.
I borrowed a phone from one of the kind employees and messaged my friend on Facebook, hoping he'd see it in time.
I made my way to the marina, scanning the crowds for my friends. I didn't see anyone I recognized, so I trekked to the local library and asked to call my mum.
As I sat on the library steps, feeling utterly abandoned, I used the library's Wi-Fi to check Facebook. I accidentally clicked the location info on my previous message and found out my friends were at a different marina. I was furious, thinking, "why didn't they tell me?".
When I got home, I confronted my friend on Facebook. His response was a tale of an embarrassing incident involving medication for his recent wisdom teeth extraction that left him with no control over his bowel movements. The incident had resulted in him throwing out his soiled shorts.
After hearing his story, my lonely night on the beach and waiting for my mum at the library in the evening didn't seem so terrible in comparison.
31. Double Whammy
My mom was clocked in as a cashier at a craft shop. As the day was winding down after an extensive shift, she needed to use the restroom. The shop was virtually empty of customers, so a friend of hers stepped in to cover.
As she was returning from the restroom, she noticed a man wearing a ski-mask rushing towards her friend wielding a knife. Chaos erupted inside the shop, with the masked man making away with a significant amount of cash. While her friend didn't suffer any knife-related injuries, she fainted soon after, severely hitting her head as she fell.
32. The Freshman Fake-Out
In my first week as a freshman on the bustling Ohio State campus, I happened upon a semi-attractive girl after a freshman seminar. She confessed to having a rotten sense of direction and asked me to guide her to North campus. You see, our school has an extraordinarily large campus that's infamously confusing, particularly in the first week. I, too, lived on North campus. Yet, instead of suavely suggesting I accompany her to our shared destination, I unceremoniously pointed towards it.
Immediately after, I received a call which drew my attention away from her retreating figure. As I chatted away, it dawned on me that I'd committed an egregious blunder. In my own state of disorientation, I had mistakenly directed her towards South campus—a less hospitable area to wander about post 10 pm. By the time I realized, she had ventured too far for me to rectify the situation. So, I merely ambled my way back to my dorm.
Then, a fortnight later, I happened upon her again. She wasn't exactly incensed, but she confessed that she'd been pondering whether I was genuinely disoriented, or if I was consciously pulling a fast one on her. Either way, it so happened that we were neighbors in the same dormitory.
33. Duck!
On a hectic Black Friday, I was slogging through a double shift at a strip mall store. During a quick breather, I darted to the Qdoba a couple of doors down and joined the queue. The fellow ahead of me swung around and spotted me; just a few hours ago, I had checked him out at the counter.
He inquired whether my shift had ended, to which I replied that I was on duty from midnight to noon. Realizing my time crunch, he graciously allowed me to go ahead. He was there to order meals for his wife, three kids waiting in the car, and himself, and he didn't want me to lose more precious minutes behind him. Expressing my sincere gratitude, we switched spots.
Now, there was a lady with a baby standing behind him instead. Hardly two minutes passed after the rearrangement, and a disastrous event occurred. The adorable baby suddenly turned into a little volcano, erupting vomit all over this kind gentleman's back. The mother mumbled a feeble apology before hustling away with her sick child.
My mind shuddered, thinking that could have been me, drenched in baby puke, nine hours into a Black Friday shift with still a few more hours left.
34. It’s Lonely At The Top
A few months back, I was at a carnival with my buddies, waiting to hop on the Ferris wheel. We were just about to get on when we noticed a few teary-eyed kids behind us (not sure what had upset them). We made the decision to let them cut in and take our spot, which happened to be the final seat on the ride. What happened next has been etched in my memory ever since.
The moment the Ferris wheel carried them to the top, it malfunctioned. Everyone on it was immobilized for what felt like an eternity—an entire hour. I couldn't help but feel terrible about it.
35. What We’ve Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate
My grandpa, a Marine veteran from Vietnam, was slated to board a flight headed for an alternate base. However, a sizable mountain loomed worryingly at the end of the runway. Concerned that the plane could crash into the mountain, he decided not to get on.
Tragically, the aircraft did collide with the mountain, causing a massive explosion. All the passengers perished, and no one knew my grandpa hadn't been among them. A week passed, and he dropped by a local shop to pick up some bed sheets.
Upon seeing him, the shopkeeper turned as pale as a sheet. He was convinced he was seeing a ghost because he'd read my grandpa's obituary just a few days prior!
36. Road Raging
So there I was, cruising down the highway, overtaking other cars and in turn getting overtaken—you know, the usual drill. After I overtook this one guy, I slipped back into the right lane once I'd put a safe gap between us. Thinking I had set the cruise control, I chilled out. Turns out, I hadn't. My speed fell by 15 mph before I realized my blunder, rightly irking the guy behind me.
We pressed on, playing leapfrog on the highway a few times over the next hour or so. Fed up with me, the guy floored it and zoomed off at 90 mph to put some distance between us. That's when I witnessed something I couldn't believe.
A mere four minutes later, I cruised past him again. This time, he was at the roadside, with a cop car behind him. If you're out there reading this, I gotta say I'm sorry for inadvertently getting you that ticket.
37. A Slip Of The Pen
One time during a class, my buddy and I were engrossed in a silly game. The aim was to avoid making contact with a specific pen, employing paper, other pens and such to push it around the table, hoping to force the other player to touch it inadvertently. Eventually, the pen rolled off the table and fell near a girl seated close by. I asked her if she wouldn't mind picking it up.
As she bent over to get the pen, I quickly said, "don't pass it to me, just place it on the table." Unfortunately, she picked up the wrong pen. The pen she had in her hand had burst, and her hand was now covered in ink. Naturally, she thought I had set this whole thing up as a joke to trick her into getting ink all over her hand.
38. Come On And Take A Free Ride
I had the chance to take a trip to New Orleans to participate in an event called "Tales of the Cocktail". My airfare, accommodation, and a few expenses were all covered. Upon arrival, a familiar face from my city offered to share her lift with me. Though, while we were on our way to collect our luggage, she pointed out a chauffeur holding a placard with my initials and full name.
I expressed my gratitude towards her for the lift offer, however, I decided to join the chauffeur in his car instead. He asked me for the location confirmation which was different from my initial information, causing me to reach out to my point person. I thanked her for arranging the transportation and inquired whether my stay destination has also changed. To my surprise, she revealed that they never sent a car for me...
That's when I decided to be a little tricky. I asked the driver to take me to my hotel, confirming whether every charge including the tip was pre-paid. She reassured me that it was, to which I smoothly handed her a $20 bill, imagining she would be getting a heated phone call in a few minutes.
39. Missed Connection
So, here's the deal: I got asked to a gathering where this gal thought it would be fun to perform a lap dance for me. Once she finished her act, she suggested we rendezvous in the washroom. Now, she wasn't really my cup of tea, plus I was seeing someone, so I thought it'd be a good idea to send a buddy in my place.
Cut to the chase: my pal ended up getting cozy with her in the restroom. Now, the real drama is that the woman he's been in love with, who happened to be present at the party, discovered what happened. Suffice it to say, she was less than thrilled. Turns out, after half a decade of friendship, this girl was harboring her own feelings for him. Needless to say, this whole debacle threw a wrench in the works. My bad!
40. Bad Timing
My uncle is an employee at Wells Fargo and had planned a business trip to their New York City office. However, a week before the trip, he caught the flu and had to ask a colleague to step in for him. Unfortunately, that office was located in the World Trade Center and the timing coincided with September 2001.
It was a huge twist of fate—his colleague never returned home. While my family is grateful for my uncle's safety, we're deeply saddened by the tragic loss. To cope, my uncle attended therapy sessions for some time and he was very supportive and comforting to the deceased's wife. She's truly a wonderful woman who never pointed the finger at my uncle for the unfortunate event.
41. Suzy The Savior
A somewhat shy-looking mom waved at the flight attendant, requesting her to ask me if I could swap seats with her son who was seated two rows ahead. I was perfectly positioned in the comfy aisle seat while her son was crammed in a less than ideal middle seat.
But I didn't hesitate to agree to the switch. After I moved all my personal items, however, I was met with an unanticipated situation. A rather large fellow had claimed the aisle seat for himself. The plane was full, and boarding was complete. I squeezed myself into the restricted space of the middle seat, trying to lower my armrests, but the large gentleman insisted that he needed the extra room.
Mid-flight, one of the flight attendants came by our aisle. She told the large man that in future flights, he should consider buying two seats. She noticed my discomfort and assured me she had a solution. She escorted me to the back of the plane, where I got to spend the rest of the trip chilling with the other flight attendants. They had a spare fold-down seat, which was a great relief.
42. Mother Doesn’t Know Best
My mom and I went to Wal-Mart in 1999 to pick up a new game for my N64. I was set on getting Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. Coincidentally, another boy there had his eyes on the same game. When we arrived, there was only one copy remaining. I was fortunate to get my hands on it, but the other boy was disappointed. His mother comforted him by saying, "Don't worry, we'll just get you this game instead."
And guess which game she selected? Superman 64—widely recognized as one of the worst video games ever.
43. I’d Hit The Ceiling
One winter, we had an unusually large snowstorm. The hospital where I work made arrangements to rent a nearby hotel to ensure staff could still make it into work the next day. I was going to grab a room myself until my dad offered to drive me in his big truck. That's how I ended up giving my room to a co-worker I didn't know that well, this petite and energetic blonde college student.
She was immensely relieved that she didn't have to worry about traveling from her far-off dorm in the storm. However, the next day she appeared grumpy and disheveled. Turns out, the room's ceiling crumbled over her bed during the night, giving her a rather unpleasant mix of ice, insulation, and drywall as an unexpected midnight surprise.
44. Don’t Be Shellfish
On a two-hour plane trip to visit my parents, a fellow passenger requested if we could swap seats, so he could be closer to his relatives. I agreed without hesitation and we swapped our spots. Later, an unpleasant surprise unfolded right above his, previously my, seat. The truth of the source of the smell was later revealed—and I couldn't believe it.
Surprisingly, a carry-on box filled with raw shrimp on ice was resting in the overhead compartment and was now leaking and emitting a foul odor. I felt a mix of sympathy for him and relief for myself that I had swapped seat.
45. Thanks For Your Consideration
In August 2019, I had an interview for a job I really wanted. After talking over the phone, I was invited for a face-to-face interview at four in the afternoon on a Wednesday. By eight that same evening, I received an email rejecting my application, and I was totally devastated. To this day, I'm not sure who they hired instead of me.
However, when 2020 rolled around, they had to let go of 60% of their employees, and it looks like they might even go out of business. In hindsight, I'm grateful every day for that rejection.
46. From Cologne To Stink
I was flying back to JFK from Cologne, Germany after enjoying spring break. By chance, the same flight was packed with a big group of kids, with a few of them running late. I mean, I don't have a problem with them, but, let me tell you, this flight was the absolute pits.
I initially sat next to a good friend who was pleased to see a familiar face considering how large the plane was. But, I knew she had a crush on another friend of mine. So, when he suggested he take my seat to be closer to her, I agreed. Biggest mistake ever.
For the entire 9-hour flight, I was stuck next to two kids. To make matters worse, both had accidents at the start and in the middle of the flight. They didn't use the restroom once. The stench that filled the air around me was so nasty, I had teary eyes throughout the journey.
One of them, around 18 or 19 and seated to my left, wouldn't stop staring at me and kept yelling out nonsensical words. Again, I have no issue with them, but the horrendous flight experience kept me wide awake due to constant screaming.
47. Ready To Pop
Back in the later part of the 1990s, I was dating a guy who lived roughly two hours away. My mode of transport was a Greyhound bus, which I took every weekend to visit him. On this particular journey, there were many passengers, so they had to split us into two separate buses.
I arrived early and was among the first in line to board the bus. However, I chose to let the older folks standing behind me board before I did. This resulted in me being on the second bus. About halfway through the trip, we saw the first bus veer off the road towards a gas station at an unexpected location, and afterwards, we lost sight of it.
Upon reaching the station, we learnt what had actually transpired on that first bus.
There was a heavily pregnant woman on that bus who could not fit into the small bathroom. She had pleaded with the driver to make a stop at a gas station since she was in dire need to use a restroom. Despite her desperate plea, the driver denied her request. Unable to contain herself any longer, she unfortunately ended up soiling herself.
It was at this point the driver decided to pull into a gas station. Thankfully, a registered nurse was amongst the passengers and helped her clean up. I felt terrible for her and all other distressed passengers. It came as a shock to me that the driver overlooked her predicament, especially seeing that she was evidently at an advanced stage of pregnancy.
48. Smile!
My brother filled in for me at our shared lifeguard job while I attended my first college orientation. He was assisting our boss in switching out the hefty CO2 canisters used for the pool's filtration system.
When he tugged at the safety cap to adjust the canister, an unexpected outcome occurred—it came off and he ended up accidentally hitting himself in the mouth with the heavy metal cap... causing all four of his front teeth, both top and bottom, to break.
He found himself spitting out pieces of his teeth into his hand, leaving our boss to rush him to the emergency room. I was flooded with guilt over the incident.
49. Spice Roulette
After clocking out from a productive business trip, my colleague and I decided to celebrate by ordering Indian food for delivery at our hotel. We had noticed a homeless man who would often hang around outside our hotel during our breaks. He mostly stayed out of our way, only making a dash into the hotel when large groups were entering to use the lobby restroom facilities. He came off as a decent man who just seemed to have fallen on hard times.
When the food finally arrived, we noticed that the man was across the street, eyeing our delivery. Without hesitation, we opened our bags, pulled out some naan bread and offered him the contents of the top container. All the dishes were packed in those standard plastic takeaway boxes, so we couldn't really tell what it was we were giving him.
Now, to backtrack a bit—when we were making our orders, we had picked out dishes based on how interesting their names sounded. When ordering one of the dishes, the server asked us how spicy we'd like it. Our response was, "Make it as spicy as it can be." We didn't detect any spiciness in our own food, but we didn't see the man the next day. All I can do is speculate about what happened to him, and hope he made it through alright.
50. Left Holding The Baby
My former husband and I discussed the idea of starting a family. However, I was using a controversial birth control known as Yaz then. Have you heard about the lawsuit connected to it? Basically, it made getting pregnant somewhat challenging.
A handful of months later, I stumbled upon a heartbreaking find. I discovered another woman's underwear in our living space. It was the push I needed to leave and initiate the divorce process. As life would have it, he soon impregnated his girlfriend, only to abandon her and their child a year after the little one's birth. He was a real piece of work—I honestly count myself lucky for escaping that situation.
Sources: Reddit,
